Hedge trimming across Sydney's Hills DistrictPrivacy screens, box hedges and shrubs

Autumn is the best all-round time. The weather is still warm enough for the hedge to recover, but cool enough that freshly cut leaves do not scorch. Spring is the other good window, once you have checked for nesting birds. Fast growers like murraya and lilly pilly also need a trim or two through summer, just not in the middle of a heatwave.

There is no month you are banned from trimming a garden hedge in Sydney, but January and early February are the months to avoid hard cuts. The heat scorches leaves that were shaded inside the hedge. Spring is nesting season, so check for nests before you cut. If a plant is big enough to be a tree, check your council's tree rules before any major cutting.

Fast growers like lilly pilly, murraya and photinia look best with two to four trims a year, mostly between spring and autumn. Box hedges suit two or three light trims. Native screens can often go longer. Regular light trims keep a hedge denser than one hard cut a year, and they are quicker each visit. Ask about a regular cycle when you request a quote.

Trim lilly pilly after each flush of new growth, usually from spring through to autumn. Two to four trims a year keeps a screen dense. Trimming also removes the pimply new leaves caused by lilly pilly psyllid, which attacks the soft growth. Avoid a hard cut in the middle of summer, and leave winter for slow growth or a harder renovation cut if it has got away from you.

Cut the sides with a slight lean so the base is wider than the top. That lets sunlight reach the lower leaves, which is what keeps them growing. Hedges cut wider at the top shade their own base and go bare. Regular light trims also help, because each cut makes the plant branch out. A bare base on a lilly pilly or murraya can often be thickened up over a few trims.

Most residential hedges and privacy screens are within reach. For very tall screens, send a photo with something for scale and we will tell you at quote how we would reach it safely, or if it is beyond what we do. Anything that is really a tree, hangs over the roof or sits near power lines is a job for a qualified arborist, and we will say so.

Usually, yes. Most broadleaf hedges like lilly pilly, murraya and photinia regrow well from a firm cut, so we can take them back hard and let them refill, sometimes over two visits so the plant is not shocked. Conifers are the exception: most will not regrow from old brown wood, so we tell you how far back they can safely go before we start.

Yes. Clippings are raked out of the hedge and off the beds and lawn, and the paths, driveway and alfresco are blown clean before we leave. Green waste from the trim is cleared as part of the job. If it is a big cut back that will fill a trailer, tell us when you quote so the price covers it. A full yard clear-out is a garden clean-up job.

Hedge trimming is priced job by job, because the length and height of the hedge, how overgrown it is, access and green waste all change the time on site. We aim to stay competitive with other Sydney and Hills District crews, and we lock in the exact price before we start. Send a couple of photos and your suburb through our free quote form and we will come back the same day.

No. We trim hedges, screens and shrubs, and prune as part of that work. Tree felling, tree removal, stump grinding and large branches over a roof or near power lines need a qualified arborist, and we will tell you when a job falls into that category. For the rest of the garden, see our lawn care and garden maintenance service or contact us to talk it through.